I love the This Girl Can campaign. It is a celebration of active women who are doing their thing no matter how well they do it, how they look or even how red their face gets. Developed by Sport England, to help women overcome the fear of judgement that is stopping too many women and girls from joining in.
Even by their standards though the new advert is awesome:
The ad uses extracts from Maya Angelou’s Phenomenal Women poem alongside real women taking part in sport.
A 10-year-old girl from Northern Ireland has gone viral after a video of her singing a variation on Leonard Cohen’s ‘Hallelujah’ for her school choir performance was posted on Facebook.
Kaylee Rodgers, from Donaghadee, County Down, has autism and ADHD, and began singing as a way to build her confidence.
The video of her singing the Killard House school choir’s version of ‘Hallelujah’ has attracted more than 200,000 views from people around the world.
It was originally posted by parent Nichola Martin, who was proud of her son Blake who also took part in the choir.
Kaylee told ITV that she was excited just to be singing, but that it was also “amazing” that the video had received so much attention. She said:
“I just loved doing it.”
Colin Millar, head teacher at Killard House, said:
“For a child who came in P4 and would really talk, couldn’t really read out in class, to stand and perform in front of an audience is amazing. It takes a lot of effort on Kaylee’s part.”
The alternative lyrics sung by Kaylee were written by contemporary Christian rock band Cloverton, who are based in Kansas. Their version was posted on YouTube in 2014
Rachel Gardner has written a brilliant blog on ‘Naked Attraction’ the latest Channel 4 trashy attempt at a programme linked to sex and relationships:
the problem with ‘Naked Attraction’ is that it hasn’t been done out of this spirit. The progressive liberal spin that says ‘this is art’ seems blind to the blatant fact that people will be getting a kick out of seeing full frontal nudity of bright young bodies. The creators of the show may be using nudity as a tool to provoke us to explore the true identity of the people we date, but how does focusing on the girth of a penis help anyone discover the hidden depths of someone’s character? Are they less likely to emotionally scar you if they have good pecs? Are they more likely to cherish your hopes and understand your insecurities if they have huge breasts?
The truth is that the internet has killed the idea of censorship, so if you’re a producer wanting good ratings why try and beat porn sites that blow your viewing stats out of the water when you can join them? Programmes like ‘Naked Attraction’ and ‘Sex Box’ aren’t about addressing the relational well- being of young people. They’re not about helping young adults find love in uncertain times. This isn’t a positive contribution to empowerment or education or art. This is voyeurism dressed up as freedom. This is our ongoing submission to the pornification of culture. It’s about broadcast numbers and money – and it’s a dull exchange.
But as shallow and distasteful as these shows invariably are, they none the less demonstrate something unknowingly redemptive.
Go read the rest of her blog to find out how the show unwittingly brought something redemptive to our screens.
Last night I finished Call the Midlife by Chris Evans. The more I read of Chris the more I enjoy. This book is a mixture of reflections from the last couple of years, including his fab Breakfast Show on Radio 2, running a marathon without telling anyone until the last minute, bringing back TFI Friday and last but not least being offered a job on Top Gear.
The first part is the most random part of the book. Chris does a series of interviews with professionals on areas linked to the male menopause including drinking, marriage, religion, sleep, work and happiness. Some of the interviews were brilliant, others were less so, and it came across as slightly random material for Chris Evans to be writing about.
As someone who is currently training for a 67 mile cycle ride this weekend it was inspiring to read how Chris was training for his marathon effort. Especially given how hard he worked to keep it under wraps until the last moment.
The last section was the most interesting section as the story as to how Chris was picked to be the lead host and creative for the new Top Gear line up happened alongside TFI Friday coming back after so many years. Chris has moved past the egotistical years and so this relatively humble and humorous look at the television industry is fascinating.
As someone who is a bit of a fan of Chris Evans, with his entrepreneurial side alongside his interest in music, showbiz and cars I enjoyed this book.
The world’s fastest man, Usain Bolt, wants us all to stop dreaming and start doing.
That’s if you believe the latest ad campaign from Australian telecommunications company, Optus. The company picked up the Jamaican track star as its brand ambassador in January.
The inspirational video shows Bolt grow up from a child in Jamaica to the unbeatable athletic star he is today. The vision of the six-time Gold medallist was filmed at his training ground in Kingston, Jamaica and is part of the new campaign by Optus, which also includes a documentary series about Bolt’s life.
